


leave a legacy

by madnessiseverything



Series: feline graces [3]
Category: Chronicles of Narnia (Movies), Chronicles of Narnia - All Media Types, Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Werecreatures, Book/Movie: Prince Caspian, Gen, werecat Pevensies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:08:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28090677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madnessiseverything/pseuds/madnessiseverything
Summary: When she opens her eyes again, she screams with joy and falls to her hands and knees in the sand. Around her, she hears Susan let out a sob, Edmund laugh, and Peter exhale. None of them waste any more time.the one where returns are made.
Relationships: Edmund Pevensie & Lucy Pevensie & Peter Pevensie & Susan Pevensie
Series: feline graces [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1972831
Comments: 24
Kudos: 85





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> originally, i had planned to make boarding school troubles the next part, but this one ended up being written much quicker! so we have prince caspian instead :D 
> 
> (title from "chosen ones" by mountains vs machines)

Lucy is frowning at Edmund’s split lip while Susan helps Peter sit down on the bench next to them. Susan’s voice is full of bone-deep weariness when she speaks. 

“What happened this time?” 

“They tried to shove Pete onto the tracks,” Edmund snaps, and Lucy winces when blood trickles down to his chin. “We tried to walk away, but they wouldn’t let us.” 

Peter, leaning back against the wall and with his arms wrapped gingerly around his own torso, rolls his head over to catch Susan’s eye. “Sorry, Su,” he rasps. Lucy wants nothing more than to find the boys that did this and tear into them. 

“This can’t go on,” Susan sighs and starts fussing with Peter’s mussed up hair. “You’ve got to figure out how to stop this.” 

Edmund lets Lucy wipe at his chin with her handkerchief. “You know we’ve tried.” 

“It’s been over a year,” Susan responds, clearing her throat when her voice cracks on the words. “There’s hardly anything we can do but adapt to England.” Her eyes shine with the promise of tears when they find Lucy’s. “I can’t keep watching you do this to yourselves.” 

Lucy doesn’t mention how Susan struggles right alongside them and instead puts her handkerchief away. “I’m glad it didn’t happen after we left,” she says instead. Even if she couldn’t pounce on the boys shoving her brothers around, she would rather be able to help them up afterwards than hear about it in a letter. 

Peter straightens up with a slight gasp of pain. He opens his mouth as though to say something, but he never gets to it. There is a sudden tug on Lucy, and she jumps up with a cry bordering on a sob. She  _ knows  _ that feeling. She whirls to stare at her bewildered siblings, and her vision blurs when she sees them stumble to their feet as well.  _ Magic _ . 

Around them, the train station crumbles away. Wind whips at their faces, and Lucy feels strands of hair being tugged out of her braids. They grasp at each other, desperate to not let go. Lucy thinks she can see glimpses of brilliant blue peeking through the walls. The ground under her feet shifts and she closes her eyes against the nauseating swirl of colours surrounding them.

When she opens her eyes again, she screams with joy and falls to her hands and knees in the sand. Around her, she hears Susan let out a sob, Edmund laugh, and Peter exhale. None of them waste any more time.

Lucy doesn’t linger on the fear that with her body younger than it was the first time, the lioness would remain locked away. She grits her teeth, sheds her uniform, and sprints towards the water. A burning pain travels up her spine. She hits the water with shudders of pain she had become afraid would never return to her. When she emerges from the waves, the lioness has come back. 

It takes mere seconds before she is bowled over by Edmund, the leopard leaping away triumphantly. On the beach, Lucy spots Susan’s tigress nudging the sprawled out form of Peter’s jaguar.

They’re home, she thinks with breathless wonder. Truly home.

They spend the remaining day and the first night in their other selves, chasing each other across the landscape and climbing into the bordering trees. Lucy swats at Susan in the waves while Edmund perches far up on a tree. Peter watches them with his head propped up on his paws, lying just within the shade of the forest. Edmund doesn’t waste the opportunity. Lucy hears a yowl and rushes to throw herself onto her wrestling brothers, Susan walking up and looking down on them with a shake of her head. Then she takes her time spreading out across the pile of her siblings while they vocally lament the offence.   
  
On the morning of the second day, Edmund shifts back and sits himself down at the base of a tree where their clothes lie piled. “We ought to explore the forest and figure out where we are,” he says, and reluctantly, his siblings join him. 

The ruins of Cair Paravel are a wholly unwelcome stab of pain to their soaring hearts, the dust-covered treasure chamber a marvel and a tragedy all in one. They take only their gifts and decide a swim is in order. Instead, they find a dwarf eager to tell his story as thanks for a life saved.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as a heads up: i'm writing this in bookverse as my usual mix of book and movie just would not let itself be written. i am however adding a couple days to the timeline because i can :D

“Doctor Cornelius,” Caspian asks around a yawn. He pulls his cloak tighter around himself and turns from the sky to his tutor. 

“Yes?” 

“Some of the stories Nurse told me, it sounds like the kings and queens weren’t human at all.” 

Doctor Cornelius frowns and asks “How do you mean?” 

Caspian thinks back. “Well, she would talk about claws and fangs, sometimes.” Doctor Cornelius’ face lights up. 

“Oh, yes, I remember now. Well, the chances of it being metaphorical are quite high. With old stories, you sometimes can’t be sure. Especially with Narnia being a country of beasts, it very well could have been that those that told the stories simply used the terms they knew of themselves.” 

“Oh,” Caspian says disappointedly, but Doctor Cornelius isn’t done. 

“But, there is one that I remember, where it mentions the kings and queens shifting forms. Now, it never speaks about what this means. But we know of some humanoids that can shift between forms, don’t we?” 

Caspian nods. “Do you think that could be it?” 

“I suppose we will have nothing but speculations. Draw whatever conclusion you wish from it, dear Prince. Now, we ought to get you back to bed.” 

-

“Wasn’t the High King Peter a man?” 

Nikabrik shakes his head emphatically. “No man like those we know now,” he says with a glare towards Caspian. “You know as well as I that the kings and queens of old were different.”

Caspian doesn’t know if his heart skips because of Nikabrik’s animosity or the content of his comment. “What do you mean, different?” He never managed to let go of his fascination with whatever the kings and queens had been.

Nikabrik doesn’t respond aside from another glare. Caspian’s head swims a little, and he doesn’t speak again, letting the three Narnians continue on with discussing his fate. 

-

Caspian stares at Nikabrik in disbelief. Next to him, Trufflehunter is snarling, and Doctor Cornelius is trying hard to maintain the peace. Caspian isn’t sure there is any peace left between them. 

He knows he should have seen this coming; after all, it isn’t the first time Nikabrik has uttered the witch’s name since Caspian joined them. And still, there is shock amidst the resignation. But above all, Caspian is angry. His sword is still out of his sheath, the ‘poor, old woman’ is leering at him from the shadow of her hood, and Caspian has had enough. 

“So that is your plan, Nikabrik?! Black sorcery and the calling up of an accursed ghost?” 

The werewolf leaps at him at his words and Caspian’s world narrows down to the desperate swing of his sword and the feeling of canine teeth digging deep into his shoulder. The chamber grows dark quite suddenly. Caspian’s sword finds its way into the werewolf’s neck. He has no time for relief when he hears a sharp, rumbling hiss off to his right. 

He whirls around in the darkness, sword arm shaking. A voice entirely unknown to him speaks a few paces away. “Are you all right, Ed?” The rumble next to Caspian returns, now less sharp, as if in answer. “Is King Caspian anywhere?” The stranger continues.

“I’m here,” Caspian responds and curses how faint his voice sounds. His vision flares up white, and a weary human face appears above a lit match. 

“Are there any candles about?” 

“You’ll find them on the table,” Doctor Cornelius, thankfully alive, replies. Next to him, Caspian spots Trumpkin. All fight drains out of him at once. He leans heavily against the nearest wall, letting his sword clatter to the ground. With the light back on, he can see that the rumble came from a leopard that’s now making its way towards the stranger. 

Caspian lets his eyes wander over the strewn bodies of the hag, the werewolf and Nikabrik. He gags and busies himself with picking up his sword. 

“We don’t seem to have any enemies left,” the stranger says, “I suppose you are King Caspian?” 

Caspian swallows. He doesn’t much feel like a king right now. “Yes, though I’ve no idea who you are.” 

“It’s the High King Peter,” Trumpkin says, puffing up his chest. Caspian’s heart speeds up. “And uh.” Trumpkin gestures to the leopard that’s sitting by High King Peter’s side, eyeing Trumpkin with what Caspian thinks might be amusement. “Um, King Edmund, as well.”

Caspian catches himself and gives a shaky bow. “Your Majesties are very welcome.” 

The High King walks up to him, stretching out his hand. Caspian fumbles, but the other boy - and now isn’t that strange, he manages to think, the High King looks to be his age - clasps his forearm with a firm grip. Caspian copies the motion. “And so is your Majesty,” High King Peter says with a smile. “We haven’t come to take your place, but to put you into it.” 

Caspian can’t figure out which of the emotions whirling in his chest to focus on. He supposes relief is the one most appropriate. “Thank you.” 

The High King’s eyes trail down from his face, and he frowns. “You’re bleeding.” 

Caspian follows his gaze and blinks. His sleeve is stained red. “Oh, yes. It was- the werewolf got me.” 

“Well, we must clean and bandage it. And we ought to get rid of the bodies. Ed.” The leopard’s head perks up. “Do you want to change back?” 

King Edmund nods and wanders out of the room. Caspian can’t quite believe it. Shifting forms, he thinks. Excitement brims underneath everything else. The horn worked, and he had been right. The kings and queens were -  _ are _ \- something else entirely. 

High King Peter sits Caspian down, and he and Doctor Cornelius examine the wound while Trufflehunter attaches himself to the High King’s side with reverent eyes. A boy slightly younger than Caspian and the High King walks back in with a pile of armour and bandages in his arms. 

“Cheers, Ed,” High King Peter says. King Edmund nods his head at him, then at Caspian. 

“Come on Trumpkin,” he says. “Let’s find someone to help us with the bodies.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait on this one! for some reason my muse ran off into the wrong direction. if you recognise lines of dialogue, they're pulled from the book ;) and not to worry! the girls will be back. while this is bookverse, i have some alterations planned.

Caspian supposes he should concentrate on eating the meagre breakfast before him, especially after the earlier confrontation. Food is scarce, and he needs all the energy he can get. But he finds it rather hard to focus on eating in the present company. 

High King Peter and King Edmund are shovelling the food down with great eagerness and speed. Caspian is fascinated. With the shock wearing off, he can barely keep still. Not only is he eating among legends, but legends that can seemingly shift into a big cat’s form at will. It’s hard to look at them with this knowledge and not see the cats in every movement. Particularly, Caspian thinks he keeps seeing a flash of fang at every bite the High King takes. 

King Edmund catches his gaze with green, very much inhuman eyes and Caspian almost bites through his tongue in surprise. He ducks his head and forces himself to focus on the food. 

Once they have all eaten their fill, High King Peter starts talking. Caspian doesn’t even try to hide his curiosity at every word the other boy says. Distantly, Caspian is quite glad when the High King explains that the queens won’t be joining them. He isn’t sure he’d be able to handle all four of the kings and queens of old at once. It’s hard enough not to freak out already. 

“You say, Caspian,” the High King says and focuses on Caspian, who tries hard not to make himself as small as possible under his gaze. “We are not strong enough to meet Miraz in pitched battle?” 

“I’m afraid not, High King,” Caspian manages to say. The other boy gives him a nod, then smiles. There is no denying that the teeth in that smile are those of a cat. 

“Very well, then. I’ll send him a challenge to single combat.”

Caspian can’t believe he didn’t think of that before. Doctor Cornelius nods approvingly next to him. King Edmund is looking at his brother attentively, and Caspian wonders what the look means. Then a thought occurs to him. “Can’t it be me?” He doesn’t want the High King to fight his battles for him, even though the thought of getting to see the king’s battle skill is rather exciting. 

Peter shakes his head. “You’re wounded,” he says with a nod to Caspian’s bandaged arm. “And he might not take your challenge seriously, from what Trumpkin has told us.” 

Caspian can see the logic in that and doesn’t protest. Peter continues to talk about the benefits the single combat would give them, and Caspian finds himself back on the track of awe and fear. Because while the two kings undoubtedly look like children, their words and manner show Caspian glimpses of the grand men he had always imagined in the stories. And underneath, Caspian can’t help but be fascinated by their other forms. 

Peter starts dictating the challenge to Doctor Cornelius, and Caspian takes the time to try and sort his thoughts. He has so many questions to ask but doubts that they will come out as well-formed as he would like them to. 

It’s another while later, as King Edmund is readying himself to bring the challenge over to the Telmarines and Trumpkin is chatting eagerly to Trufflehunter that Caspian dares to approach the two kings. “If I may?” 

The two brothers look at him with smiles. “Yes, Caspian?” 

“There are stories about you,” he starts, feeling a little foolish. He doesn’t doubt that they’re already aware of that. “But, um, they don’t mention anything much about the leopard?” 

“Do they not?” Edmund asks with a broad grin. “That’s disappointing.” Contrary to his words, he sounds delighted.

“Seems like you got your wish, Ed,” Peter says before fixing Caspian with a look. “I assume you’re curious about it?” 

“Very much so you, Your Majesty.” 

“None of that now,” Peter says. “We’re all equals. We can do without ceremony while talking like this.” 

Caspian works hard to not gape at that. “A-Alright. Um, so you all,” he starts, but trails off, thoroughly thrown off the detailed questions he had laid out for himself. 

Edmund seems to take pity on him. “Trust me, it was as surprising to discover for ourselves.” He is adjusting his armour as he speaks, with Peter watching him closely. “About a year into our reign, we discovered - rather painfully - that we had gained the ability to shift into a big cat form. Quite the treat.” 

Peter looks over at Caspian with contemplation. “We don’t quite know why it happened, but we always figured it had to do with being Narnia’s sovereigns.” A smile tugs at his lips. “Perhaps you’ll find yourself in our shoes at some point.” 

Caspian can’t quite process that idea. He swallows and tries a different question. “Are you all leopards?” 

“That’s Edmund. We each have a different cat. I’ve got the jaguar, Susan a tigress and Lucy a lioness.” 

“Oh. Um.” Caspian doesn’t quite know what he means to ask next. He is deeply curious about what this sort of shift and ability entails, but can’t decide whether that might be too personal. 

“King Edmund?” Asks a voice off to Caspian’s right. He turns to look at Glenstorm, who bows. “We are ready to leave, Your Majesty.” 

“Right, off we go,” Edmund says. Peter tugs him into a quick hug, then Edmund nods at Caspian and leaves with the centaur. 

“How about you show me where the rest of the army is? And if you’ve got any other questions, you can ask them as we walk.” Peter’s voice is cheerful and Caspian nods hastily. 

“Of course. This way.” As they walk, Caspian manages to find his equilibrium. “Which form do you fight in?” 

Peter hums. “It depends. I certainly won’t be shifting during the combat with Miraz.” 

“Why not?” Caspian asks.

“It’s rather unsporting, don’t you think? We never used it in duels. I’m quite sure it was written into the code as well.” 

Caspian sees sense in that. Still, he thinks he would have liked to see his uncle’s face were the High King to transform into a jaguar before his eyes. “That makes sense.” 

Peter chuckles, almost as if to himself. “I can’t guarantee that the odd fang won’t be visible,” he adds with humour. “It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance.”

Caspian looks at the High King. Peter is scanning the surrounding walls with interest. His hands are folded behind his back, and the firelight reflects in eyes that are no longer blue. He swallows and hastily asks another question. “What sort of situations would you use it in?” 

Peter thinks for a short while, and their feet carry them outside the How. “It’s not always perfectly thought out. I’ve fought wars in both forms, usually adapting to the challenge at hand. If I were to be disarmed completely, becoming the jaguar is the next action.” 

Caspian turns over his next few questions in his head. “Do you have a preference?” 

“That depends, again. Right this moment? The jaguar.” 

“Why?”

Peter’s face grows sad, and Caspian immediately regrets asking. But before he can backpedal, Peter sighs. “We haven’t been able to shift since we fell out of Narnia. Coming back, it just feels like we ought to catch up on all that we lost. I’ve missed it an awful lot.” 

“Oh.” Caspian doesn’t fully understand, and his mind is already working to find questions to ask about the disappearance of the kings and queens all those years ago, but he can tell that Peter doesn’t seem all too enthused about the subject. Up ahead, Caspian spots the troops and decides that he has asked enough questions for the time being. His curiosity itches at the back of his mind, but he doesn’t want to overstep. Perhaps later, he will find his courage again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry for yet another big delay with updating! the progression of time is really catching me by surprise constantly. hopefully, updates won't be as irregular from now on, but with uni coming back i'm expecting it to be a chapter a week (unless the muse runs off and completes this story miraculously :P) i hope you're enjoying this <3

Peter is in the middle of surveying the How’s defences when several archers tense and ready their weapons. Caspian flinches and grabs for his sword before he can even make out what put the men on their guard. 

“Two humans approaching, Your Majesty,” one of the faun archers says. Caspian frantically searches the forested line. Next to him, Peter laughs. 

“Be at ease, soldiers. The queens have returned.” 

Caspian follows his line of sight and finally spots two human girls making their way towards them. Their armour, very similar to the one Peter is wearing, glints in the sunlight. Caspian tries hard to swallow down the giddiness he’d managed to lock away throughout the conversation with Peter. The queens of old are joining them. 

The archers drop their weapons with awed noises. Peter starts walking to meet the queens and waves to Caspian. “Come on, Caspian.” Caspian stumbles in his eagerness to follow. 

Coming closer, he can see that Queen Lucy and Queen Susan have merry faces with bright smiles, their hair mussed up and with a few leaves sticking out. Nonetheless, they move with a grace that makes Caspian feel a little out of place. 

“Peter!” Queen Lucy shouts and flings herself at her brother. Queen Susan brushes her hair away from her face and gives Caspian a kind smile. 

“You must be Caspian,” she says, and he nods, bowing. 

“Your Majesty.” 

“Did we get here in time then,” Queen Lucy asks as she steps back from Peter to let her sister hug him in greeting. Her mouth is full of fangs when she turns to look at Caspian. He fumbles for words at the sight, barely stopping himself from taking a step back. 

“Ah- yes, very much so. Your brother, um-” 

“Ed is off delivering a challenge to single combat,” Peter cuts in and Caspian forces himself to get back to the even ground he’d found during their conversation. 

Queen Susan’s face drops. “Single combat? Peter, you don’t mean-” 

“It’s our best shot. The Telmarines outnumber us, and we ought to try the one option with the least bloodshed.” 

Queen Susan sighs but nods her head. Queen Lucy bounces up and down with a soft laugh. “Aslan is off towards the town at Beruna,” she says eagerly. Caspian can’t decide between breathing easier at the mention of the Great Lion and feeling utterly overwhelmed. “He’s sent the dryads to help here.” 

Her fingers point towards the How and Caspian gapes at the sight. Somehow, he hadn’t noticed the front of giant trees that built itself up behind the How since last night. He thinks he can glimpse the occasional humanoid feature in the sea of green. 

“Come on,” Peter says. “We ought to get back to the How. You’ve got to have a look at it.” The last sentence he directs towards his sisters with a broad grin. Lucy claps her hands. 

“Well, what are we waiting for then?” Susan says with an exaggerated sigh and motions with her hands for the boys to lead them. 

The soldiers bow as they pass, and the two queens wave at them with a smile. Caspian doesn’t know what to do with himself. He leads them into the How back to where they’d eaten breakfast.

The queens turn out to have had plenty of breakfast. Instead, they and Peter decide to take some time to explore the How’s other passages with Caspian in the lead. They talk of Aslan as they go, and Caspian chooses to settle on relief rather than being overwhelmed. Knowing that the war will be over soon makes it easier to adjust to the presence of the ancient kings and queens. It doesn’t really help with the feeling of awe, but he doubts that that will change.

In a small cavern that stands empty, a grand mural of a hunt decorating the walls, he turns to look at the three Pevensies. Susan brushes her hand through her hair while watching Lucy snap at her brother with a soft smile. Peter matches his sister’s playful bites with a laugh. Caspian is almost moved to think of them as simple children like him if Lucy and Peter’s teeth weren’t a perfect mirror of the great cats in their army; if Susan wasn’t picking at the leaves in her hair with claws. 

A sudden voice rings out through the halls. “Su! Lu!” Running footsteps move towards them. Soon they’re joined by a smiling Edmund who pulls both his sisters into a hug. Caspian looks at the four of them together and knows everything will somehow be alright.

“Miraz has accepted the challenge,” Edmund says after a few beats. Caspian swallows, feeling cold all of a sudden. So the end begins.

“Well,” Peter says and claps his hands. “I suppose we better prepare, then.” 

**Author's Note:**

> i have a [narnia tumblr](https://bloodybigwardrobe.tumblr.com/) and am also on [twitter](https://twitter.com/notanycritter), feel free to drop by for a chat!


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